FASHIONABLE star Heart Evangelista — the screen name of Love Marie Ongpauco-Escudero — furnishes her home with items from Genteelhome.
Ms. Evangelista was the guest of honor at “Echoes of Craft,” a dinner on June 25 by furniture brand Genteelhome which was held at the historic Palacio de Memoria, a restored pre-war mansion down Roxas Boulevard. Ms. Evangelista has renewed her contract with the furniture brand, becoming one of its ambassadors for a second year running.
Genteelhome’s items were placed among the antiques in Palacio de Memoria. In a speech, Genteelhome Chief Executive Officer and Principal Designer Katrina Blanca de Leon called their pieces “heirlooms of tomorrow.”
During a toast, Ms. Evangelista said, “We don’t have to sign the contract; I’ll forever be yours because I love everything you do, and what you represent.
“I just need more houses,” the actress, mega-influencer, restaurant heiress, and political spouse – she is married to Senator Franciz “Chiz” Escudero – joked. “A little more space, for everything.”
As she was seated on one of their rattan chairs, we asked Ms. De Leon whether Ms. Evangelista, as one of their ambassadors, would design a collection for them (they had a previous collaboration with Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray). “We do a lot of collaborations for her home. Usually, we work together for her personal projects,” she said, meaning Ms. Evangelista may not be designing with them, but she personally uses the items.
Despite the glitz and glamor of the evening, Ms. De Leon was quick to remind us of the brand’s down-home roots since 2013 in Pampanga. “All of my craftsmen are there, my family’s roots are in Pampanga,” she said. “We’re reviving the industry by supporting local craftsmanship,” she said. Pampanga has long been known as a source of reproduction antique furniture, but Genteelhome is gently nudging them towards more modern pieces.
Many of Genteelhome’s pieces also make use of lampakanay (a local cattail) rope. “We usually use that to add strength to the furniture,” she said, but, “Upon using it, we saw its potential of being an aesthetic point.”
We mentioned that during her speech, Ms. De Leon called her pieces “heirlooms of tomorrow,” which is probably why they were placed near the heirlooms scattered about Palacio de Memoria. “The durability is for a lifetime, because we use non-compromised material: solid wood,” she said.
“These furniture pieces are the ones you grow old with.”
Genteelhome’s stores are in Bacolor, Pampanga and in the Podium Mall in Mandaluyong. — Joseph L. Garcia